The U's Matchzone

Three Talking Points as Oxford Lose at Cheltenham

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Oxford United’s search for an away continues after they lost 1-0 at Cheltenham. The U’s dominated large spells of the game but were unable to find a way past the Robins. Here are three talking points from the game.

Missed Chances and Set Pieces

It may seem a recurring theme but it was yet another game where Oxford missed far too many chances and failed to do anything meaningful from set-pieces.

In a first half of dominance from the visitors, James Henry forced Scott Flinders into saves from distance while their attacking play looked promising, but lacked that final touch.

Oxford won eight corners in the opening half but failed to make any of them pay.

Although Cheltenham grew into the game after the break, the U’s still created plenty but couldn’t force Flinders into any further saves. By the end, Oxford resorted to playing long balls to Dan Agyei up top when faced with two defenders above six foot.

It is now two games in succession where the U’s have failed to score, with just one goal coming from the last three matches.

Cheltenham Scored From Their Only Shot on Target

A frustrating aspect will be that Cheltenham found the net with their only shot on target. Jack Stevens was a spectator for much of the game but a long ball from Flinders was missed by Jordan Thorniley before a squared pass found Alfie May unmarked in the box to slot home.

After the goal, however, Oxford struggled to break the hosts down and the game began to fizzle out towards a frustrating end.

Mark Sykes – Oxford’s Main Man

While it was a disappointing display from many of the Oxford players, Mark Sykes stood out.

The midfielder clearly looks more effective in the wide areas and caused more problems down the right than Gavin Whyte did on the opposite flank.

In the second half, he saw an effort on goal blocked behind for a corner before substitutions meant he switched to the middle for the final 20 minutes. Despite that, he was still the one player looking to make things happen.

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